SIGN UP FOR THE BRACE NEWSLETTER
Major James H. Brace
Brace Water Centre: A Legacy of Innovation in Water Research Founded in 1959 through the vision of Major James H. Brace.
1959 - About Major Brace
Major James H. Brace was a pioneering engineer and visionary philanthropist whose work helped shape some of Canada’s most ambitious infrastructure projects in the early 20th century.
As co-founder of Fraser-Brace Engineering Co. Ltd., he played a key role in projects like Quebec’s Gouin Dam and the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories at Chalk River. Upon his passing in 1956, he left a transformative legacy through the Brace Bequest—fueling generations of water research and innovation at McGill
1967- Early Impact: From Barbados to Macdonald Campus
Brace Institute's early milestones included the launch of its Experimental Research Station at McGill’s Bellairs Institute in Barbados. Around 1967, the station moved to Macdonald Campus to better align with McGill’s agricultural and environmental research goals. Throughout its early years, the Brace Research Institute focused on developing technical expertise in fields such as desalination, irrigation, and agricultural water use, particularly in underdeveloped regions.
1978- Solar, Wind, and Community Work
Between 1978 and 1999, the Brace Institute championed small-scale solar and wind technologies in Canada and abroad, producing practical guides and fostering global partnerships.
Key initiatives included cold-climate greenhouses, wind-powered irrigation in Barbados, solar distillation in Mauritania, and renewable energy projects across Africa and Latin America.
1990- Expanding into Governance
In 1999, the Institute joined forces with the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences‘ Centre for Drainage Studies, and the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management was born.
In the early 2000s the Centre played a key role in addressing global water issues. These initiatives tackled transboundary governance, salinity, climate modeling, and climate modeling—spanning the Aral Sea, Nile Basin, Sri Lanka, and Lake Champlain—while also training McGill graduate students in hands-on, interdisciplinary research.
2005- Expanding Opportunities for Students
From 2007, the Centre expanded its academic scope, launching the MSc in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) with support from the Macdonald Stewart Foundation. The IWRM program provides students with hands-on training to address real-world water challenges.
The Centre also became a hub for student involvement through conferences, seminars, and the Brace Graduate Conference.
2022- Fostering Scholarship: The Centre’s Role in Student Involvement
In 2022, the Centre adopted the name Brace Water Centre to reflect the diversity of water expertise at McGill and to establish a unified point of access to water-focused academic activity across the institution.
